Meaning & use
touché
Last updated
Meanings
interjection
Used to admit that someone has made a good point against you in an argument or joke.
Grammar: Stand-alone word; it is not followed by an object or a clause: 'Touché!'
Patterns
- Touché!
- You've got me there. Touché.
"You said you'd never be late, and here you are." "Touché."
She pointed out that I'd done exactly the same thing last year, so I just said, "Touché."
interjectionsport
Used in fencing to acknowledge a hit scored by your opponent.
Grammar: Said by the fencer who has been hit, or by the referee in some styles.
Patterns
- Touché! (after a hit)
The fencer lowered her blade and said, "Touché."
After the point was awarded, the referee called "Touché!" and the fencers reset.
Common combinations
- say touché
- He laughed and said touché when she proved him wrong.
- a touché moment
- It was a touché moment: she had no answer to his clever reply.
- Touché! (as a reply)
- "You forgot your own advice." "Touché!"
Synonyms and how they differ
- fair enough
- A calmer British-sounding way to accept a point; touché is wittier and often more playful.
- you got me
- Informal and more conversational; touché sounds slightly cleverer and can be used in writing.
- point taken
- More neutral and businesslike; use point taken in a meeting and touché among friends.
Commonly confused: touché or touchy? touché or tush?
touché vs touchy
Touchy means easily offended, which is quite different from touché, the word for conceding a point.
touché vs tush
A different word (informal for the buttocks); it sounds a little like touché but shares no meaning.
Practice
Your friend wins an argument by quoting your own words back at you. What is the most natural reply?
Choose one answer.
Touché concedes that the other person made a clever point; 'touchy' means easily offended and does not fit here.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “touché”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.